Trying to stack up some conversations before fall camp gets rolling. We’ve covered the offense so far so lets switch over to the defense now. Coming off the announcement that Caleb Kidder is our latest #37 I figured why not start with the D-line. Last year’s D-line was top-heavy with senior talent lead by Zach Wagenmann and Tonga Takai, Trevor Rehm rose to the occasion as well as our 3rd senior on the D-line and Tyrone Holmes remains as the only returning starter from last year’s group.
Starters
DE – Tyrone Holmes
DT – Zach Peevey
DT – Caleb Kidder
DE – Derek Crittenden
Backups
DE – Tucker Schye
DT – Jamal Wilson
DT – Nate Bradley
DE – Ryan Johnson
Depth
DE – Austin Chadderon, Nick Mertes, Tyler Richtmeyer, Jesse Sims, Andrew Harris, Mike Ralston
DT – Bo Harris, Kyle Davis, Reggie Tilleman
The starting 4 is an interesting mix, over the last 3 years the Griz had enjoyed the huge run-stopping presence of 300+ pound Tonga Takai, now the heaviest D-lineman is in the 275-280 range (Peevey, Wilson, Kidder, and Harris). Power-run teams will presumably take notice and test the interior line. Last year NDSU even had issues against Takai and Rehm for a while.
Holmes represents one of the better pass rushers in the Big Sky. He started off last year on fire but I think a foot injury of some sort slowed him for a while. Healthy and full speed he could be a force, however he’ll have to contend with getting attention from extra blockers the whole year. Crittenden is well known for his academic achievements but was also a steady backup last season, he actually finished 4th in overall sacks on the team – ahead of Takai. Peevey,is a solid backup and ST player from last year, he’s got a lot resting on his shoulders in an increased role now. Peevey kind of reminds me of Alex Bienemann - a converted DE that can balance his athleticism with being a 280-ish pound interior tackle. Then there’s Caleb Kidder, our new #37. He had to sit out last season due to injury and hopefully he’s back and fully recovered. Before this injury – seeing him play at full speed was very impressive. He’s not like an interior lineman we’ve see in a while here. He has a strong burst of speed and can rush the QB like a fast DE if needed. Kidder could be in line for a breakout season.
The depth is where things get a little funky. DT is actually in pretty good shape. Nate Bradley reminds me of Ben Hughes from a few years ago – a little undersized but a good fighter in the trenches and someone that can come in and play quite frequently to keep our entire interior D-line fresh. Jamal Wilson has impressed with the weight he’s added and how he practiced in the spring. Keep an eye on him, he’s going to be able to contribute this year. D-end we move rapidly into the unknown. Tucker Schye is a converted LB and I can’t help but wonder what they’ll do with him now that Addison Owen is gone – will he go back to LB? Ryan Johnson has had great scrimmages and spring/fall camps but has yet to show it in games, this could be his chance to make that stride.
Beyond the starters and backups watch for Austin Chadderon and possibly Nick Mertes to make some noise – mostly on special teams. Chadderon showed some good skill rushing the passer this spring, if Schye moves back to linebacker then Austin may step up into the 2-deep. Another guy that could come in and have a Tyrone Holmes-like rise as a true freshman is Jesse Sims. He’s already got more weight on him than many of our RS-frosh and Sophomore D-ends and was quite the steal from the FBS ranks. I’ve heard great things about Sims strength and speed – he’s a guy I’ll watch to see if he makes a move this fall camp. DT depth beyond our front 4 is basically Bo Harris and Kyle Davis – the loss of Mau Ena probably will have the coaches scrambling to get some new interior linemen this next recruiting season.
Overall the starters bring a mixed bag of backup experience that should suit them well in transitioning to being starters. As always there’s some concerns with overall health and these guys will need to find good consistency this season. I would expect they’ll get tested by running teams quite a bit – it will help though having an incredibly experienced group of LB’s working behind them though. There’s great potential overall in this group, mainly with Holmes and Kidder. On the other hand depth is very inexperienced and D-end especially has a whole lot of guys who have little to no prior playing time as a Griz.
There’s quite a bit to see unfold with the D-line! They’re replacing a lot from last year but have been able to work with and groom new starters.
Starters
DE – Tyrone Holmes
DT – Zach Peevey
DT – Caleb Kidder
DE – Derek Crittenden
Backups
DE – Tucker Schye
DT – Jamal Wilson
DT – Nate Bradley
DE – Ryan Johnson
Depth
DE – Austin Chadderon, Nick Mertes, Tyler Richtmeyer, Jesse Sims, Andrew Harris, Mike Ralston
DT – Bo Harris, Kyle Davis, Reggie Tilleman
The starting 4 is an interesting mix, over the last 3 years the Griz had enjoyed the huge run-stopping presence of 300+ pound Tonga Takai, now the heaviest D-lineman is in the 275-280 range (Peevey, Wilson, Kidder, and Harris). Power-run teams will presumably take notice and test the interior line. Last year NDSU even had issues against Takai and Rehm for a while.
Holmes represents one of the better pass rushers in the Big Sky. He started off last year on fire but I think a foot injury of some sort slowed him for a while. Healthy and full speed he could be a force, however he’ll have to contend with getting attention from extra blockers the whole year. Crittenden is well known for his academic achievements but was also a steady backup last season, he actually finished 4th in overall sacks on the team – ahead of Takai. Peevey,is a solid backup and ST player from last year, he’s got a lot resting on his shoulders in an increased role now. Peevey kind of reminds me of Alex Bienemann - a converted DE that can balance his athleticism with being a 280-ish pound interior tackle. Then there’s Caleb Kidder, our new #37. He had to sit out last season due to injury and hopefully he’s back and fully recovered. Before this injury – seeing him play at full speed was very impressive. He’s not like an interior lineman we’ve see in a while here. He has a strong burst of speed and can rush the QB like a fast DE if needed. Kidder could be in line for a breakout season.
The depth is where things get a little funky. DT is actually in pretty good shape. Nate Bradley reminds me of Ben Hughes from a few years ago – a little undersized but a good fighter in the trenches and someone that can come in and play quite frequently to keep our entire interior D-line fresh. Jamal Wilson has impressed with the weight he’s added and how he practiced in the spring. Keep an eye on him, he’s going to be able to contribute this year. D-end we move rapidly into the unknown. Tucker Schye is a converted LB and I can’t help but wonder what they’ll do with him now that Addison Owen is gone – will he go back to LB? Ryan Johnson has had great scrimmages and spring/fall camps but has yet to show it in games, this could be his chance to make that stride.
Beyond the starters and backups watch for Austin Chadderon and possibly Nick Mertes to make some noise – mostly on special teams. Chadderon showed some good skill rushing the passer this spring, if Schye moves back to linebacker then Austin may step up into the 2-deep. Another guy that could come in and have a Tyrone Holmes-like rise as a true freshman is Jesse Sims. He’s already got more weight on him than many of our RS-frosh and Sophomore D-ends and was quite the steal from the FBS ranks. I’ve heard great things about Sims strength and speed – he’s a guy I’ll watch to see if he makes a move this fall camp. DT depth beyond our front 4 is basically Bo Harris and Kyle Davis – the loss of Mau Ena probably will have the coaches scrambling to get some new interior linemen this next recruiting season.
Overall the starters bring a mixed bag of backup experience that should suit them well in transitioning to being starters. As always there’s some concerns with overall health and these guys will need to find good consistency this season. I would expect they’ll get tested by running teams quite a bit – it will help though having an incredibly experienced group of LB’s working behind them though. There’s great potential overall in this group, mainly with Holmes and Kidder. On the other hand depth is very inexperienced and D-end especially has a whole lot of guys who have little to no prior playing time as a Griz.
There’s quite a bit to see unfold with the D-line! They’re replacing a lot from last year but have been able to work with and groom new starters.
